Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Forgotten Art of Longhand Writing

Today I
did something that I have always loved doing, writing in longhand. Normally I
switch on the computer and tap away furiously at my laptop keys. This new WIP,
needed me to revert to my long forgotten
roots. When I started writing, I would write with a blue ball point pen on lined
foolscap sheets. The first drafts were always on paper.

These would
then be transferred to the computer. As I got busy with other things, I started
writing on the computer itself to save time. I would just open a word document
and start typing. Somewhere with my busy schedule I had forgotten the joys of
writing longhand.

When I
picked up the reams of foolscap sheets presented to me by my dad (dad had searched
long and hard in Bangalore to get these lined foolscap sheets, I had just
casually mentioned to him that I was missing my usual paper as the stationary
shops near our house had all closed down). I was thrilled. Nothing like
visiting old times. Yesterday, the first day of the week I started writing the
rough outline of the first book of my Middle Grade Paranormal Trilogy. I am
rewriting the first book, keeping just few scenes from the original draft.

It was sheer
pleasure to watch the sheets fill up with my handwriting. Every filled page
sent ripples of delight coursing through my body. By the end of the day, I was
quite happy with my writing progress. While writing, the feel of the smooth
paper was bliss. I don’t know why, but I prefer staring at a blank sheet of
paper than a blank screen. A blank screen tempts me to open my browser and
check my mails, blog or facebook.

I feel
longhand writing really unleashes my creativity. It sure turns my normal moody
muse into a caring and helpful creature. It also sets free my blocked and
choked up brain cells. For a few days I have decided to carry around the page in which I have outlined the plot, so that I can fine
tune the outline and add more to it.

I know it’s a
lengthy process: first writing, then typing. I am just going to write chapter
outlines and the major scenes, not the entire book. Lot
of it will get changed while writing the consecutive drafts. I am seeing the
positive side of it. While typing I can also edit and make the changes.

What about
you all? Do you cherish the times when you wrote longhand or do you prefer its
quicker version; typing once for all on the computer. What do you all feel
about writing longhand? Is it too cumbersome for you all? What is your writing method?

No, I don’t especially miss writing by hand. I still do it on occasion but as I have a keyboard always to hand these days I even write poems straight onto the screen. I like the fact that the poem looks like the finished product there and then. I have no hard and fast rule. I wrote a fair bit of my fourth novel by hand for no better reason that it felt right. I sat at the same desk where my PC lives and wrote in a yellow legal pad (which is what Woody Allen uses BTW). The last novel was written entirely on a computer, printed out and then edited and the edits typed up. I tend to go with the flow.

I used to be most comfortable writing in longhand - it seemed the best way to go. But now I write most everything on my laptop. Not sure when I made the transition; perhaps when I used a typing tutorial and increased my typing speed. I should try longhand just for fun. I would probably enjoy it. Thanks for your thoughts!

How fabulous!I hurt my wrist in 1998 and my handwriting is rather dreadful these days as a result. i agree that switching on computer leads to Internet temptations, so I often turn off the router just to ghet on with my writing. If I had a separate novel computer that would work betttr for me. LOL!I can imagine writing long hand does have a different satisfaction.

I always write longhand my first draft, the one on which I pour everything. Then, on a second stage, I go to my laptop and start rewriting and editing on the screen. (If I were to start on the computer, my inner editor would not let my creativity flow out of my mind).

It is good to write things out in longhand, Rachna. It makes us slow down and think. As you said, watching the paper fill up is most satisfying. But then comes the ugly fact that I have to type it all in. So why not just type it in the first place. Ack!

I have carpal tunnel syndrome (my fingers get stiff and start hurting when I write longhand for a long time) so I limit those for short notes, poetry, writing short stories, but never a novel-length work. I do longhand for plot outlines, too.

I do agree that there is something special about writing longhand. Probably because your handwriting is much more personal and part of you, than say, the keys on the keyboard.

This post totally rings true for me. I love writing in longhand and find it unleashes my creativity and puts an end to any manner of ‘writer’s block.’ To edit the piece though, I type it up and do that all stuff on the computer.

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